Tabernas Desert video locations

The desert is an ideal place to shoot commercials and music videos.Sergio Leone must have had the same impression as me, when he arrived in Almeria in 1964, because he decided to shoot his Clint Eastwood movies of the Spaghetti Western genre here.

Click here to see a video of the surrounding desert

Sergio Leones Spaghetti Western desert

Westerns, such as ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, ‘For a few dollars more’, the Good the Bad and the ugly, were all filmed here (not in Arizona!). Typical Western towns were built , which you can still visit today and which are typical representations of the conquest of the American Wild West: There are three cowboy towns to choose from. This was the beginning of a frantic shooting of all sorts of genres in the Tabernas Desert. Thanks to the similarity of both deserts, it supplanted the US desert of the Mojave in many movies providing an ideal backdrop for the international film industry. Westerns, adventure, war, science fiction, comedy, advertising… the list is endless. The thing is that we have all seen not only the beauty of this desert but the entire province of Almeria in our favourite movies or commercial spots , but hardly anyone knows Tabernas, one of the most unique deserts of the world. Calatrava shown in the video is an ideal place for a small film crew.
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Giants in Spain

Giants also known as Gigantes or Gegants are most popular in the north of Spain. The smaller ones are called cabezudos. They offer a colorful backdrop to any scene. In this video they can be seen ascending above Alcorisa to El Calvario in the county of Teruel.

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Above Alcorisa

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Carlos Montoya Flamenco of Spain

 

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Carlos Montoya

 

Along with its Spanish origins, Gypsy, Byzantine, Sephardic and Moorish elements have often been cited as influences in the development of flamenco. It has frequently been asserted that these influences coalesced near the end of the reconquista, in the 15th century. The origins of the word flamenco are unclear – it was not recorded until the late 18th century.

Carlos Montoya was born in Madrid, Spain, into a Romani family, on December 13, 1903. As the nephew of renowned flamenco guitarist Ramón Montoya he seemed to have been born to play Flamenco, but it was his uncle who would be his biggest obstacle, as he refused to teach Carlos the tricks of the trade. He began studying the guitar with his mother and a neighboring barber, Pepe el Barbero, a.k.a. Pepe the Barber. By the time he was 14 years old he was accompanying dancers and singers in the cafes of Madrid, Spain.

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El Torcal Antequera

This is a world where time has stood still.

 

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El Torcal

 

Where eagles soar on thermals and Ibex roam.

El Torcal Nature Reserve is famous for it’s strange rock formations of limestone. Situated about 30 km north of Málaga city in the direction of Antequera near the village of Villanueva de la Concepción, within it is about 17 square km and contains some of the most beautiful and impressive limestone landscapes in Europe. The Jurassic age limestone is about 150 million years old and was laid down in a marine corridor that extended from the Gulf of Cádiz to Alicante between the present Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. 1 million years BC or Jurassic Park could have been filmed here.

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Free the horses (Saca las Yeguas)

This amazing spectacle happens on the 26th of June

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Almonte

The mares and foals are driven from the Doñana National park through Almonte in Huelva. The spectacle of seeing hundreds of mares (Yeguas) driven through the town and past the church, is breathtaking. The sound is also impressive.

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Across the river and along the beach

It looks more like the set of a Western in Mexico than a sleepy corner of Spain, when the wild Doñana horses are rounded up by modern day cowboys to take part in the famous El Rocío celebrations. This is “la saca de las yeguas”, the rounding up of mares. Its purpose is to count, disinfect, worm and brand the wild herd, as well as to remove foals to sell at market the following day.

The Rocio festival is in full swing by now. But that’s another story for another post. There are many spectacular points to view and film the horses.

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Beach Playa Es Trenc Mallorca

This beach will certainly give the Maldives a very good run for the money with it’s peaceful location, three kilometers of white sand and beautiful azure sea.

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Es Trenc

The beach has something to offer everyone. If you want gently sloping sands and shallow water, then you’ll find it here. If you want slightly deeper sloping sands to save you a bit of a wade, then it has that, too.
The beach is flanked by stunning sand dunes – find a quiet spot and you’ll feel miles from anywhere.
There are naturists dotted about, but it’s not compulsory.

Chiringuito Es Trenc Beach Bar

Si disfrutas de las playas virgenes abiertas, diferentes de las localizaciones donde los turistas suelen pasar sus vacaciones, deberías venir a Es Trenc. Este trozo de costa en Mallorca está formado por varios kilómetros de playas de arena blanca con su dunas y vegetación original y es la unica de su clase que permanece en su estado puro original en Mallorca. Te sugerimos que disfrutes de un dia en sus limpias aguas azul cristalinas. Puedes escoger el lugar que más te guste dentro de la extensión de estas playas..

Le Salne Salt mine if you need a white back drop

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Click here to see a video of the beach and surrounding area

Wide shot of Es Trenc Coast

Almeria Desert video location

I’ve filmed here several times including music videos for Richard Hawley and Add N to X. As well as commercials, for Mazda. The desert receives about 24 cm of rain a year. Together, the high temperatures all year round (average temperature of 18°C) and one of the longest levels of sun exposure possible (3000 hours) produce the dry climate that gives rise to this true desert, ideal for filming.

Sandwiched between the Granada mountains of the Sierra Nevada, Gador, Filabres and Alhamilla is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Spain, the desolate Desierto de Tabernas.

Click here to see a video walk through of the desert

Desierto de Tabernas

The Desert of Tabernas, because of its similarities with the North American deserts like the Far West of the American West, northern Africa, the Arabian deserts, and its lunar landscape, served from 1950s and is still used today for the shooting of many films and westerns. The spaghetti westerns were shot at the three main film sets, Texas Hollywood, Mini Hollywood, and Western Leone.

The local European airport, with both modern and rural hotels, make it easy to travel to. There are also conference hotels geared towards filming. The local tapas bars are very cheap and diversified. The city has several top class restaurants.

Horses and trekking are easy to organize as Almeria is a horse orientated county. Being a coastal city there are hundreds of beaches to choose from.

Films such as “A Fistful of Dollars”, “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” and “The Magnificent Seven” all used this landscape. For anyone interested in film there are various film sets built in the nature reserve of the Tabernas Desert.

For any help with filming permits and finding locations in Spain just mail me (Click here)

Our professional page of past film and video jobs can be seen (HERE)

And you can see other film and video locations I know about (HERE)

Lawrence of Arabia in the Almeria desert

My blog would not be complete if I didn’t give a mention to the sets and locations from the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. With too many stars to mention including, Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif. Especially as I used to live on the farm where the railway sets were built.

Click here to see a video As they were then and how they look now

My back garden

The locations are still there although some now have additions like roads and electricity pylons. But Almeria still has a wealth of desert, beach inland mountains and coast locations to offer.

For any help with filming permits and finding locations in Spain just mail me (Click here)

Our professional page of past film and video jobs can be seen (HERE)

And you can see other film and video locations I know about (HERE)

Spectacular roads

There are spectacular roads leading in to the desert ideal car commercial locations. With stunning views and vistas.

Caravaca

An inordinately complex man who has been labeled everything from hero, to charlatan, to sadist, Thomas Edward Lawrence (Peter O’Toole blazed his way to glory in the Arabian desert, then sought anonymity as a common soldier under an assumed name. The story opens with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident in London at the age of 47, then flashbacks to recount his adventures: as a young intelligence officer in Cairo in 1916, he is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I. In the desert, he organizes a guerrilla army with Omar Sharif and for two years leads the Arabs in harassing the Turks with desert raids, train-wrecking and camel attacks. Eventually, he leads his army northward and helps a British General destroy the power of the Ottoman Empire.

Beach location in Spain Almonte Huelva

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Matalascañas

The beach is 7 kilometers long and the seashore has an average width of 80 meters. Its golden and fine sand, its mobile dunes, Mediterranean climate and clean water make it a gift from Nature.

Torre la Higuera

It is known for having an ancient upside down tower on the sand called Torre la Higuera.

Dunes Matalascanas

Dunes Donaña

It also has some spectacular dunes behind the beach. Eventually turning into forest as you reach the Donaña National Park.

A few kilometers further along the beach you can find the beach front town of Matalascañas, Almonte.

Matalascañas Beachfront town

Almonte has a population of 19,641 and enough local shops for any extras and last minute props and dressing.

Camera, Grip and lighting equipment are not local, so if your thinking of a big film shoot allow half a day for trucks and generator travel.

There are smaller hostals and hotels close to the beach for easier main crew travel. And some 4 and 5 star hotels a bit further out for artists and management.

For any help with filming permits and finding locations in Spain just mail me (Click here)

Our professional page of past film and video jobs can be seen (HERE)

And you can see other film and video locations I know about (HERE)

In the Donaña National Park wild horses roam the plains and forest.

Click here to see a video of horses in the park

Wild horses Donaña